Bolivia, Plurinational State of
Trade Policy Review: Bolivia 2017
"Trade Policy Reviews" analyse the trade policies and practices of each member of the WTO. The reviews consist of three parts: an independent report by the WTO Secretariat, a report by the government, and the concluding remarks by the Chair of the WTO’s Trade Policy Review Body. The opening section - "key trade facts" - provides a visual overview of the WTO member's major exports/imports, main export destinations, origins for its imports and other key data. This edition looks into the trade practices of Bolivia.
Report by the WTO Secretariat
Since 2006, the Plurinational State of Bolivia (Bolivia) has pursued an economic policy whose objective is the structural transformation of the country. The policy is based on the socalled economic, social, communitarian and productive model (MESCP) in which the State plays a vital role by steering and controlling the strategic sectors and participating directly in the economy. According to the authorities, this model seeks to redistribute income and reduce poverty by transferring resources from the strategic sectors that generate surpluses (above all mining and hydrocarbons) to other sectors that promote income and employment. The measures adopted to implement the MESCP include the nationalization of hydrocarbons in 2006 and the consolidation of the role of State enterprises in the Bolivian economy. The model aims to satisfy domestic consumption first, followed by exports, and this priority is reflected in a number of policies adopted (see below). Bolivia’s trade policy has developed in the light of these objectives, adapting to an increased presence of the State in economic activities and the prioritization of the domestic market.
Introduction
The Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM) was first established on a trial basis by the GATT contracting parties in April 1989. The Mechanism became a permanent feature of the World Trade Organization under the Marrakesh Agreement which established the WTO in January 1995.
Concluding Remarks by the Chairperson of the Trade Policy Review Body, H.E. Mr. Juan Carlos González of Colombia at the Trade Policy Review of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, 14 and 16 November 2017
This fourth Trade Policy Review of the Plurinational State of Bolivia has provided us with the opportunity to deepen our understanding of its trade and investment policies, and in particular regarding the reforms introduced since the last Review in 2005. I would like to thank the delegation from Bolivia, led by Ambassador Clarems Endara, Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade and Integration, for its constructive engagement throughout this exercise. I would also like to thank our discussant, Ambassador Francisco Lima Mena from El Salvador, for his interesting and thought-provoking remarks, as well as the 28 delegations which took the floor the first day, for their active participation in this Review. Members were pleased to participate in the fourth Trade Policy Review of Bolivia, which is taking place 12 years after the previous Review.
Report by the Plurinational State of Bolivia
The Plurinational State of Bolivia was founded following the adoption of the New Political Constitution of the State in February 2009 as drafted by a Constituent Assembly established on the basis of a popular vote. It is the first constitution to be approved by the Bolivian people in a referendum and it establishes a new social and political pact; it casts off the former Republic of Bolivia and creates a new State: sovereign, free, independent, democratic, intercultural and decentralized with autonomies. Its foundations are the plurality and political, economic, legal, cultural and linguistic pluralism that frame the integrating process of forging the country’s path towards "Vivir Bien" (Living Well).